28 Weeks

How far along? 28 Weeks

Total weight gain: 25 lbs (seriously, i know! I cry every time i step on the scale now.)
Maternity clothes? You betcha! And this ensamble in the pic is a mighty comfortable set of maternity clothes too!
Stretch marks? I couldn't tell ya if i have any new ones. I can't see much of anything, seeing as i can't bend\twist\reach ect.
Sleep: Split in half. Not toooo terrible, i know if could def be worse. But i still get up at least once a night to pee and sometimes at least once a night to stretch out a leg cramp or two.
Best moment this week: Officially rolling (literally it seems!) into the third & final trimester. The end seems far away but it is in sight!
Miss Anything? Well, this may be embarrassing to reveal BUT im gonna say now that it's been getting REALLLY cold at night, i really miss being able to fit into my full zip body fleece pajamas! They are SO warm & cozy and they just do NOT work with the belly.
Movement: All the time! I just read that the baby doesn't usually run out of space until around week 34, he's got a bit yet to keep kicking\punching\swishing\rolling around on my insides.
Food cravings: Nope
Anything making you queasy or sick: Nope, but it's been a week now since going off my anti-nausea meds and i have not been feeling so great in the mornings again, but not bad enough to be losing my breakfast yet.
Gender: Still a boy!
Labor Signs: No, BUT, i've had a LOT of Braxton hicks contractions the last 2 days especially. 
Symptoms: Still some refluxish issues, but not as bad as before. Still leg cramps, but not as bad as before. For sure less room for my ribs, its really hard to sit in certain postitions because it just causes too much rib pain or i plain cant breathe. Oh and the uber heavy feeling\pressure that's instantly put on my abdomen the moment i stand up...are you kidding me!? And it's only going to get WORSE. Sigh....
Belly Button in or out? I'm about to start a poll to see how long it can hold out as an innie....it's still holdin!
Wedding rings on or off? on
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy and happily nesting!
Looking forward to: The weekend! Granted not because of the holidays of course, but because the holidays make it so that my mom, dad & sisters have school\work off and Emelyne & I get to head to Fargo on Friday-Wednesday (weather permitting of course) It will be my last planned travel until this pregnancy is over. And spending time away from home will hopefully just make another week of the pregnancy fly by!!

27 Weeks

How far along? 27 Weeks

Total weight gain: 24 lbs
Maternity clothes? Only the pants in this photo, but yes, lots of maternity.
Stretch marks? Same ones as before
Sleep: I'm gonna say this week has been half\half. Still having congestion issues, and 2 nights ago i had just about the worst night ever. Just plain insomnia, just plain laid in bed for HOURS not able to fall asleep. Then of course once i finally did, Emelyne woke up 2 hours later. MOST.IRRITATING.THING.EVER!
Best moment this week: A lot of good moments actually! Been getting some things done around here which feels awesome, and today was just about the greatest day in awhile! Went to town with Sara and shopped and laughed and ate to our hearts delight!!
Miss Anything? Shall i REALLY start and go down this road? This could open a whole big can-o-complaining!
Movement: All the time, but i did decide that he moves around about 80% of the time, it's a LOT!
Food cravings:  Of course not crave per-say but i did have to indulge today in some Raisinets. They just sounded sooo good!
Anything making you queasy or sick: Not particualarly, i have successfully stayed off my ani-nausea medicine! Finally as i enter into my 3rd trimester i am finally off them! I start to feel panicky, very light headed\faint when i get hungry now instead of feeling sick. It's more back to normal, the hypo-glycemic thing.
Gender: Boy
Labor Signs: Nope, just the Braxton hicks!
Symptoms: I do NOT know how this could possibly get any worse but i seriously have to pee like every 15 minutes sometimes. I feel so stretched to the max already that i want to cry thinking about how much worse\bigger i will get. I had a couple days this week where i literally wanted to saw my leg off i was having such bad leg pains\aches\cramps. The cramps are the worst at night but i have soreness\pain during the day. Thankfully it eased up after a couple days.
Belly Button in or out? still holding on as an innie for now!
Wedding rings on or off? on
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy!
Looking forward to: Well, as of tomorrow i've reached my next milestone, 28 weeks! So i'm excited about that. Also i found out today at the doc that they will still be doing another ultrasound (i'd thought we were done with those!) but this should be the last (being it goes well) and it won't be for another 8 weeks, when i'm at 36 weeks. They need to check the postition of the baby\placenta again to make sure everything's a-okay for a hopefully natural birth. Short term my next goal is 32 weeks, or to my next doctor appointment.

I officially declare......................nesting mode! That's right, it has happened already. I've been struck by the bug. Maybe a little early but that okay with me! It feels so good to finally have the burning desire to actually commit and get to getting things done! The nursery is still not underway BUT it has been totally cleaned out and is ready for demo. I went thru some cabinets\cupboards, cleaned out the garage a little, and got some more things hung up on the walls that have been sitting for the past year, AND finally got my coffee table painted\put together after a year of it sitting in the garage. So YAY to progress! Slowly but surely, and i couldn't have done it without the help of my friend\personal mover\lifter upper, Sara! Thanks & thanks again! I plan on posting some pics of the house, a house tour if you will, pretty soon, so look for that post in the near future! Ta-Ta for now! =)

P.S Reminder to self: Do NOT have my picture taken first thing in the morning. Yikes i couldn't look more tired! Hopefully a better, brighter picture for next week.

26 Weeks

How far along? 26 Weeks

Total weight gain: 23 lbs & counting UGH!
Maternity clothes? wearing leggings most of the time, and yes this pic is full on maternity style. I finally broke down and invested in actual maternity leggings instead of just buying larger ones and can i just say O.M.Goooodness i am SO happy i did. Comfort all around!
Stretch marks? Uh-Huh
Sleep: So we're back to not enjoying this area again. This week i've had the onset of leg cramps. Worse then with Emelyne. And even though i got my new beloved humidifier, it does not seem to be doing the trick for my nose. There's a lot of tossing & turning & getting up to stand against the wall and stretch my legs.
Best moment this week: That's gonna have to be the birth of my new niece! We got to hang out at the hospital while labor was going on, Sara & I got all set up in the waiting room at 8pm Sunday night outfitted with: Taco Johns, Starbucks, a deck of cards & a Friends marathon on TV. I'm just sorry i didn't get a picture of it! Good times!
Miss Anything? Actually a little frustrated that i can't play much of Just Dance on the WII! With my leg cramps goin on it's pretty hard to move sometimes. And sometimes i just wanna dance! :)
Movement: All the time, as usual. Flips & kicks & who knows what else is goin on in there.
Food cravings: Nadda
Anything making you queasy or sick: Just the usual reflux issue.
Gender: Boy
Labor Signs: Nope, just some Braxton hicks.
Symptoms: The rib pain is very uncomfortable at times. Reflux, leg cramps, continued stretching in my belly, blah blah blah.
Belly Button in or out? Oh it's in still, by a hair! I was actually able to flip it inside out the other night! Isn't that exciting?! Ha
Wedding rings on or off? On still
Happy or Moody most of the time: Still happy that things are going well. Just getting very anxious for it to be over!!
Looking forward to: I've said it once & i've said it twice, and it still hasn't happened yet: getting going on the nursery! Yikes only 12 weeks or so!


And now to leave you with a couple pics of my new niece Ava Ruth:

25 Weeks

How far along? 25 Weeks
Total weight gain: Tipping the scales at 22 lbs. I'm pushing the limit on how much how fast i'm supposed to gain. Can you say BIG boy?
Maternity clothes? Full on in this photo.
Stretch marks? Hopefully no new ones, though i feel i am stretching every minute sometimes.
Sleep: Still doing okay in this department, except the horrid dryness that comes with the season & cold weather. My poor nose. By next week my new humidifier shall be here and hopefully that will make all the difference.
Best moment this week: Happy that i made it to my self appointed milestone, and happy to know at this point if something drastic happened that now baby boy has a chance of survival were he to be born.
Miss Anything? My normal rib cage space\capacity. 
Movement: Usual crazy boy kicks & punches.
Food cravings: You know it, that there are none. Although thinking about it in general, i want to document for my own memory that overall i've tended to crave salty things over sweet.
Anything making you queasy or sick: Doing okay this week, though i still haven't ventured off my meds.
Gender: Boy
Labor Signs: No
Symptoms: I don't know if i can say it's heartburn, but man oh man i have reflux like the devil. I don't feel nauseous but i often feel like i'm at my limit about to boil over after i eat\drink. Ish!
Belly Button in or out? Still an innie but man is it flat!
Wedding rings on or off? On
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy to still be carrying a healthy baby!
Looking forward to: Hitting the next milestone, week 28. And getting some maternity clothes in the mail that i broke down and ordered. Tis a great time to be finding amazing deals though, gotta love that! 

24 Weeks

How far along? 24 Weeks
Total weight gain: 20 lbs. YIKES!
Maternity clothes? Half & half in this pic.
Stretch marks? Yeah yeah
Sleep: Still sleeping better than a few weeks ago.
Best moment this week:  Having a fairly normal doctors visit this time. Of course there had to be some issue, this time it has to do with my kidney. But it's not pregnancy related this time and it's something we'll check into after bebe boy is here. I will be on lifting restriction thru the end of the pregnancy, but other than that things are A-OK right now.
Miss Anything? Sitting normally. This little guy loves to sit underneath my right rib cage. It makes it very difficult to breath, eat, or even sit in a normal position. 
Movement: Stronger & stronger every day.
Food cravings: I'm going with no.
Anything making you queasy or sick: Nothing above & beyond the normal stuff.
Gender: Boy
Labor Signs: No
Symptoms: Been having some Braxton Hicks contractions again, which i think is good. Helps to prepare for the big D-Day. Some cramping again, itchy belly still and an all around hefty feeling. Does that count as a symptom?
Belly Button in or out? In-ish, but it's getting a bit stretched.
Wedding rings on or off? On
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy camper when it's going good.
Looking forward to: Getting going on the nursery. I'm trying not to have a panic attack but i'm just realizing we've got around 15 weeks to finish it up....and it hasn't even been started!

23 Weeks

How far along? 23 Weeks
Total weight gain/loss: Oh right, i was going to get back to you on that one....next week!
Maternity clothes? Actually none in this weeks photo.
Stretch marks? It sure feels like i'm getting some new ones, can you say itchy belly?!
Sleep: Sleeping has finally been tolerable. I get up once a night to pee, other than that i am used to tossing & turning a bit and am snoozing pretty good these days.
Best moment this week:  I don't know why but i hate this question. I feel like i never have "best moment" moments. The lazy 3 days weekend of being snowed in and eating and baking to my hearts delight was pretty good.
Miss Anything? I miss easily being able to put on my socks, and shoes, and pants, and being able to pick things up off the floor. Also, (i don't think i mentioned this last week) but i was put on lifting restrictions a couple weeks ago ((during the week that we pretend didn't happen)), and believe it or not i miss being able to vacuum my own floors and MOST of all being able to pick up my own daughter! Don't be fooled, being told you can't lift anything and have to let everyone else do it all for you sounds great...until it happens to you. Talk about feeling incompetent. 
Movement: Yes, still an active boy. But i'm thinking he's already starting to lose a little space in there, it's a tish bit less than before. I think he's already\gonna be a big boy. Yikes!!
Food cravings: Anything warm, hearty, and homey. Although now that the weather turned back to nice, it doesn't matter so much.
Anything making you queasy or sick: I'm back to being queasy feeling til about 11am when i get a good amount of food in me. Then i start to not feel so good from being too full. And back we go again.
Gender: He
Labor Signs: No
Symptoms: Rib pain. I never felt that with Emelyne, not so pleasant. Super itchy belly! And just plain feeling very heavy and weighed down.
Belly Button in or out? In-ish...and i might add that it's position has moved northward by quite a bit. So....weird!
Wedding rings on or off? On
Happy or Moody most of the time: Neither. Just glad to finally be passing the time tolerably and hoping that it keeps going faster.
Looking forward to: Getting a new niece in 2-4 weeks! A new baby to play with and practice on before my lil guy comes along. And hopefully once she's here the time will go by even faster!

In other news, i just have to say how nostalgic today has been. 4 years ago today, Aaron & I went from a happily married childless couple to being surprised, happy, and nervous parents. (She surprised us by coming a bit earlier than expected!) I hate to say it, but allllllll those cliches that go along with being a parent are totally true. But there it is. Emelyne has taught me how to love in a way i never knew was possible. (Most times) she makes EVERYONE around her happy to be in her presence. She's honestly the most imaginative, sweet, endearing, creative, goofy, weird, passionate, caring, BEAUTIFUL little girl i know. Biased? I'm sure some. But ask around, most others would agree with me. LOVE.THIS.LITTLE.GIRL

21 & 22 Weeks

So, i know i missed a week of blogging. I never did a post for week 21, but frankly, it was the worst,  most horrible week so far. It was filled with, but not limited to: cramps, pain, worry, vomiting, bleeding, 4 ultrasounds, 2 doctors visits, one too many urine samples, an actual stomach flu (NOT pregnancy related!), and more. WORST.WEEK.EVER. So we are just pretending that that week never happened, and now that everything seems to be fine & dandy, (for the time being) we will just move right on to week 22 in which it felt like i came back to life. Almost literally. Ha!

How far along? 22 Weeks

Total weight gain: Will have to get back to ya next week. I haven't checked in a couple weeks now, but i'm sure it's thoroughly depressing.
Maternity clothes? Oh yes, but again, neither of these pics shown are ones where i am wearing maternity clothes...so not all the time i guess.
Stretch marks? Yep
Sleep: On average i'm gonna say now that sleep has been a tish better than before. Still have bad nights but no unbearable. One night accidentally, i fell asleep on Aaron's side of the bed and that night we both slept the best we ever have! So, we have officially switched sides of the bed, and both sleep better, for some odd reason.
Best moment this week: I will mark 2 "best" days. One was Friday, the first day in over a week that i finally felt....human, livable. I will not venture to say (until this pregnancy has been officially completed) that i feel good. But good enough to get thru the day. The other was on Sunday, we had a party! Baby shower! Whoop! It was the most amazing shower, complete with the absolute MOST.FABULOUS.CAKE.EVER!
Miss Anything? Besides my usual complaints, no. I'm honestly grateful every day that goes by right now & i stay pregnant with this little guy.
Movement: Unbelievable amounts sometimes. This has actually been one of the most comforting things lately, even during the unspeakable week, he was still going everyday, and that's always a good sign.
Food cravings: Again, and again as stated, i'm not gonna call it a craving. BUT i am loving this time of year now with all the peppermint goodness around! Can you say Starbucks Peppermint Mocha (decaf of course) and also the pumpkin spice Latte. There is a major storm predicted for this weekend so we plan to knock out a couple pumpkin chiffon pies. And i assure you i will more than thoroughly enjoy them!! Oh, and to my dad: I'm still all about Taco John's potato ole's. In fact, i had a dream a few nights ago that you and I went to lunch together, and it was supposed to be to Taco Johns. It wasn't on taco Tuesday (sorry to disappoint) but when we got there we'd actually went to the Taco Time in Belgrade. Then that made me CRAVE Taco Time. Sad!
Anything making you queasy or sick: Forgetting last weeks sicknesses...i'm gonna say no right now. As long as i eat 24\7, uhm VERY often, and take my medicine at night, i am doing pretty good this week.
Gender: More sure than ever, he's definitely a HE. We got to peek, a LOT, and he is not shy about his manhood.
Labor Signs: I'm gonna say no, but i am having braxton hicks contractions already.
Symptoms: Shortness of breath! Sometime i think i'm gonna keel over. Lots of stretching feeling. In fact, over a 2 days period i completely lost sight of everything below my belly other than my feet. Yep, it happened ALREADY! I was fine one day and the next BOOM! All i see is belly. Then along came the swollen feet, and funny bending over & loss of balance. Fun stuff.
Belly Button in or out? still in
Wedding rings on or off? on
Happy or Moody most of the time: happy now!
Looking forward to: Milestones, milestones milestones. I want nothing more at this point than to hold a healthy full term baby boy! But short term i am trying to focus on milestones. Next up: making it to week 24 & to the next docs visit. So that's only a week away. (I post these on the last day of my week, so tomorrow i am starting week 23.) Once i started having "problems" and issues, it's made it go by SO slow. When feeling like death & worry day after day, it makes them very LONG days. So, at this point i'm hoping little milestones will make it go by quicker.

So enjoy the pics. The first ones were taken on Sunday, the day of my FANTASTIC shower!!! And at the end i will leave you with a photo of that phenomenal cake!